1. Field
Embodiments relate to a transparent electrode pattern, a manufacturing method thereof, and a touch sensor including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a transparent electrode pattern including a metal nanowire, a manufacturing method thereof, and a touch sensor including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flexible electronic devices that have been recently developed may include a portion that is exemplarily foldable, rollable, stretchable in at least one direction, or may be elastic and deformed. The flexible electronic device may generally include a plurality of electrode patterns. The plurality of electrode patterns may also have flexibility such as to not generate a failure after deformation of the flexible electronic device.
As a material for the electrode having flexibility, various materials such as a nanowire like a silver nanowire (AgNW), a carbon nanotube, graphene, a metal mesh, a conductive polymer, etc., may be used.
The electronic device such as a display device, a portable transmission device, and other information processing devices execute functions by using various input devices. Techniques for allowing a user's finger or a pen to contact an electronic device and have it function as an input device without an additional devices such as a keyboard have been developed. The electronic device having the touch sensing function may be used to find touch information such as whether an object touches a screen and a touch location thereof by sensing a change in pressure applied to the screen, charges, light, and the like by the display, when a user touches a finger or a touch pen to the screen. For example, the display device having the touch sensing function may receive an image signal based on the touch information and may display the image.
The touch sensing function may be implemented by a touch sensor. The touch sensor may be classified into various touch sensing types such as a resistive type, a capacitive type, an electromagnetic resonance (EMR) type, and an optical sensing type.
In the case of a resistive type of touch sensor, two electrodes spaced apart from each other while facing each other may contact each other by a pressure from an external object. When the two electrodes contact each other, the contact positions and the like can be determined by recognizing a change in voltage depending on a change in resistance at the contact position.
The capacitive type of touch sensor includes a detection capacitor formed of a detection electrode capable of transferring a detection signal and detecting a change in capacitance of the detection capacitor generated when conductors, such as a finger, approach the sensor to determine the contact or not, the contact positions, and the like. In the capacitance type, the user must always contact the touch screen to detect the touch, and contact by a conductive object is required.
In the display device having the touch sensing function, a touch sensor unit including the touch sensor may be used by being installed in the display device (an in-cell type), by being formed on an outer surface of the display device (an on-cell type), or by being attached as a separate touch sensor panel to the display device (an add-on cell type). When the display device is the flexible display device having flexibility, the touch sensor unit therein may include a flexible electrode pattern having flexibility. Also, the electrode pattern forming the touch sensor must commonly transmit the light of the image, and in this case, the electrode pattern may be transparent.